Man found guilty of deadly Pittsburgh synagogue attack

A gunman accused of killing 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 has been found guilty by a jury in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The federal trial of Robert Bowers, 50, now moves to the sentencing phase, with the court poised to decide whether he should be given the death penalty.

The 27 October attack inside the Tree of Life synagogue was the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history.

Bowers pleaded not guilty to all 63 charges against him.

The jury found him guilty on all counts, according to local media reports.

During the three-week trial prosecutors called 60 witnesses as they tried to prove the gunman carried out his attack because of a hatred for Jews.

Bowers' defence team did not call any witnesses and did not deny that he carried out the attack, but said it was due a delusional hatred for immigrants and a Jewish non-profit group, not Jewish people.

Under US federal law, in order for the jury to impose the death penalty, prosecutors must prove that Bowers was motivated by race hate or killed to stop people from exercising their religious beliefs.

A further hearing will be held to determine whether Bowers will receive a death penalty sentence.